Over 2 trillion Iraqi dinars needed for reconstruction works in Diala Province – official

DIALA / IraqiNews.com: The total funds required for long-range reconstruction works in Diala Province exceed 2 trillion Iraqi dinars, whilst the cost of the infrastructure in the province’s urgently-needed projects exceeds 600-800 billion dinars, a Diala administrative source said on Sunday.   “The violence acts witnessed in different areas of Diala Province affected a large part of the province’s infrastructure, and the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the damaged buildings. Urgent projects need between 600-800 billion dinars, particularly when considering that the percentage of damage over the current year had exceeded 60 percent of the infrastructure,” the source told IraqiNews.com news agency.   “Reconstruction and rehabilitation works, through long-range projects, need 2 trillion and 377 billion dinars, to be carried out through specialized international companies,” he noted.   “We have an annual budget, allocated by the central government, which is not enough to satisfy our ambitions, as 120 billion  dinars were allocated for 2009, 119 billion for 2010 and 128 billion for the current year,” he concluded.   One U.S. dollar equals 1,118 Iraqi dinars approximately.   Baaquba, the center of Diala Province, is 57 km to the northeast of Baghdad.   SKH (TI)/SR 620